Patent GB-1191543-A (GB)
Title: Wire Bending Apparatus.
Inventor: KELM EVERETT FRANK
IPC: B21F1/04
Filed: 1968-07-17
Abstract: 1,191,543. Corrugating. CORNING GLASS WORKS. 17 July, 1968, No. 33968/68. Head-  i ng B3E. A wire 10 is bent into a preselected sinuous form by feeding a wire section 19 through a wire guide 12, bending the section 19 about the exit end of the guide 12 by a bending tool 17 which is thereafter moved to a position adjacent the guide exit opposite to the initial position, Fig. 1H, feeding through the guide 12 a succeeding wire section 20 which is bent about the guide end by the tool 17, Fig. 2K, moving the tool 17 back to its initial position and continuously repeating the sequence of steps to form the sinuous pattern. In the embodiment described, a piston rod 43, Fig. 4, is extended by a fluid cylinder 42 to reciprocate a fork-shaped member 46, the fork arms 46c, 46d of which have grooves 46a, 46b, diminishing in depth inwardly from their outer ends. A pin 83, Fig. 6, attached to a member 82b carrying the bending tool 17 enters the groove 46a of the fork arm 46c causing the bending tool 17 to be moved laterally away from the bent wire, Fig. 2K, and as the pin 83 is moved upwardly by the upwardly sloping rear portion of the groove 46a, the tool support member 82b is pivoted upwardly about a pivot pin 84 to raise the tool 17. Further forward movement of the forked member 46 causes the pin 83 to contact the rear of the groove 46a whereupon the bending tool 17 is moved forward until a screw 101 is contacted by the tool supporting assembly 82. A piston rod 54 of a fluid cylinder 53 is extended causing a clamping shoe 114 to feed forward a succeeding section of wire 10 through the wire guide 12, after which the forked member 46 is retracted by the cylinder 42 so that the pin 83 is moved out of the groove 46a of the fork arm 46c causing the tool 17 to move downwardly and laterally to contact the succeeding wire section, Fig. 1C. As the piston rod 43 of the cylinder 42 retracts, a ratchet wheel 127 and an attached oblong bumper block (124) (Fig. 10, not shown) are rotated a quarter of a revolution by a ratchet 137 on a leaf spring 138. The amount of retraction of the wire feed assembly 106 is limited by the position of the bumper block (124) and since the position of the contacting face of the block has been altered due to its oblong shape, a different length of wire section from the preceding length will be fed forward when the feed assembly 106 is next actuated. A fluid cylinder 34 is actuated to reciprocate a rack 38, which rotates a pinion gear 39 causing, through a shaft 71 and attached wheel 74, the tool supporting assembly 82 to be rotated anticlockwise. The wire is thereby bent about the exit end of the guide 12 by the rotating tool 17. Thereafter, the member 46 is again reciprocated by the cylinder 42 causing the pin 83 to enter groove 46b in the other fork arm 46d so that the tool 17 is moved laterally away from the wire, upwardly and subsequently forward, Fig. 1H. The wire feed assembly 106 is again actuated to feed a succeeding wire section through the guide 12, after which the member 46 is retracted to cause the tool 17 to contact the wire. The rack 38 is retracted by the cylinder 34 so that the tool 17 is rotated clockwise to bend the wire about the exit end of the guide 12, Fig. 1K. The sequence of steps is repeated as desired. The bent wire is guided to a shoot 96.